Compositions comprising ethoxylated lecithin and methods of making and using the same

ABSTRACT

Compositions are provided that include ethoxylated lecithin for use as an adjuvant in aqueous composition. Specifically, the compositions may be utilized primarily as drift reduction agents in agricultural compositions, as a soil or foliage penetrant, as a pesticide adjuvant, as a pesticide formulation component, and for other uses. More specifically, the compositions are useful in reducing drift in spray compositions, such as in use in agricultural applications, such as pesticide, herbicide, fungicide and insecticide formulations, in industrial vegetation management (“IVM”) and integrated pest management (“IPM”) applications, in rights-of-way applications, in forestry applications, and other like applications.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/590,434, filed Jan. 6,2015, which claims the benefit of priority of provisional application61/923,942 filed Jan. 6, 2014, the complete disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to compositions comprising ethoxylatedlecithin for use as an adjuvant, especially aqueous compositions. Forexample, the compositions of the present invention may be utilizedprimarily as drift reduction agents in agricultural compositions, as asoil or foliage penetrant, as a pesticide adjuvant, as a pesticideformulation component, and for other uses. The compositions may be usedin reducing drift in spray compositions, such as in use in agriculturalapplications, such as pesticide, herbicide, fungicide and insecticideformulations, in industrial vegetation management (“IVM”) and integratedpest management (“IPM”) applications, in rights-of-way applications, inforestry applications, and other like applications.

BACKGROUND

The spraying of compositions for particular purposes is well known inthe art. For example, the agriculture industry has sprayed compositionsonto agriculture for decades if not centuries to apply useful chemicalsand compositions to agricultural crops. Specifically, it is well knownto spray pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and otherlike functional components onto agricultural crops and/or soils to wardoff and/or eliminate harmful insects, weeds, fungi and other likeharmful elements. Fertilizers are also sprayed onto agricultural cropsand/or soils to supplement or replenish nutrients to crops and soils.

Moreover, spray compositions are utilized to aid in IVM and IPMapplications for reduction of disease and pest vectors, in rights-of-wayapplications, in forestry applications, and in other like applications.The spraying of compositions has far-reaching applications beyond merelyspraying on agricultural crops.

Droplet sizes of sprayed compositions are important to ensure thatintended targets, such as agricultural crops and/or soils, areadequately treated. To ensure the adequate deposition of functionalcompositions, sprays strike a balance between having droplet sizes thatare small and light enough to be sprayed maximal distances, but heavyenough so that the droplets do not get carried away by wind or otherwisedrift outside the intended application area. A need therefore exists forcompositions that may be effectively sprayed onto intended target areas.Specifically, a need exists for compositions that form droplet sizesthat are appropriately sized to maximize coverage of an intended targetarea.

Drift, as noted above, may cause compositions to be applied tounintended areas, such as environmentally sensitive areas, and maybecome pollutants. For example, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides,and fungicides may pose a hazard to unintended areas, and may disruptecosystems. Likewise, fertilizers may pose a risk if applied tounintended areas, also becoming pollutants. Drift of compositions tounintended areas or untargeted areas increases the cost of applicationas more composition must be used to cover intended areas than wouldotherwise be required. A need exists for compositions that may be easilycontrolled to spray onto intended areas while minimally affectingenvironmentally sensitive areas.

Equipment utilized to spray compositions may have a large effect ondroplet sizes, but composition formulation can also be important. Priorknown compositions have utilized high molecular weight polymers, such aspolyacrylamides and polysaccharides, such as guar, to increase viscosityof compositions. However, these compositions may be difficult toprocess, may provide inadequate control over droplet sizes and caneasily breakdown in high shear environments, such as in mixing tanks andthe like. A need, therefore, exists for drift reduction compositionsthat provide adequate droplet size control but do not easily break downunder high shear conditions.

Soya lecithin has been identified as an aid in reducing droplet sizes inspray compositions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,797,673 indicates thatDrexel Chemical Co.'s PAS-800™ contains lecithin in an acidiccomposition. Lecithin, however, is difficult to utilize or stabilize inaqueous solutions. Therefore, it has been proposed to use surfactantsystems with lecithin to allow the drift reduction agent (also known asa drift control agent) to more easily dissolve into aqueous solutionsand form aqueous spray compositions. Surfactants, however, have theadverse effect of increasing driftable fines, thus at least partlydefeating the purpose of including lecithin in the first place.

To the inventors' knowledge, ethoxylated lecithin (the reaction productof lecithin and ethylene oxide) has heretofore not been used incompositions to aid in controlling drift or as a penetrant, or in anyother manner as an adjuvant in agricultural compositions, such as in usein pesticide, herbicide, fungicide, insecticide or fertilizationapplications, or for any other agricultural application.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present invention, compositions areprovided that include at least ethoxylated lecithin (the reactionproduct of lecithin and ethylene oxide) for use primarily as a driftreduction agent in agricultural compositions, as a soil or foliagepenetrant, as a pesticide adjuvant, as a pesticide formulationcomponent, and/or for other uses. The compositions may be useful inreducing drift in spray compositions, such as in use in agriculturalapplications, such as pesticide, herbicide, fungicide and insecticideformulations, in IVM and IPM applications, in rights of wayapplications, in forestry applications, and other like applications.

To this end, in an aspect of the present invention, a compositioncomprising ethoxylated lecithin and one or more stabilizing componentsis provided. In an embodiment, the ethoxylated lecithin composition maybe combined with one or more functional components and water forspraying for agricultural applications. The one or more functionalcomponents may include a pesticide, an insecticide, a herbicide, afungicide, or a fertilizer, or one or more combinations thereof.

In accordance with certain embodiments, the compositions may beeffectively sprayed onto intended target areas.

In accordance with embodiments, the compositions form droplet sizes thatare appropriately sized to improve or maximize coverage of an intendedtarget area.

In accordance with embodiments, the compositions may be easilycontrolled to spray onto intended areas while minimally affectingenvironmentally sensitive areas.

Further, in accordance with some embodiments, the compositions areimproved drift reduction compositions that provide adequate droplet sizecontrol but do not easily break down under high shear conditions.

In accordance with some embodiments, the compositions are improved driftreduction compositions for spray applications comprising one or moredrift reduction agents that are adequately stabilized in aqueous systemswithout complicated surfactant systems, or preferably without orsubstantially without any surfactants other than the ethoxylatedlecithin, which has surfactant-like water-dispersion properties withoutthe drawback of increasing driftable fines that plagues conventionalsurfactants.

In accordance with some embodiments, ethoxylated lecithin is utilized asan agricultural adjuvant.

In accordance with some embodiments, ethoxylated lecithin is anagricultural adjuvant for use as a drift reduction agent and/or apenetrant.

Additional embodiments, features and advantages of the present inventionare described in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description ofthe presently exemplary embodiments and from the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accordancewith the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way oflimitations. The figures are incorporated in and constitute part of thisspecification. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the sameor similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a bar graph representing comparison studies of theefficacy of inventive and non-inventive compositions in flax control.

FIG. 2 illustrates a bar graph representing comparison studies of theefficacy of inventive and non-inventive compositions for pigweedcontrol.

FIG. 3 illustrates a bar graph representing comparison studies of theefficacy of inventive and non-inventive compositions for sunflowercontrol.

FIG. 4 illustrates a bar graph representing comparison studies of theefficacy of inventive and non-inventive compositions for commonlambsquarters control.

FIG. 5 illustrates a bar graph showing the efficacy of knowncompositions and compositions of embodiments of the present inventionfor wild oat control.

FIG. 6 illustrates a bar graph representing comparison studies of theefficacy of inventive and non-inventive compositions for palmer amaranthcontrol.

FIG. 7 illustrates a bar graph showing the percentage of droplet sizesof the compositions less than about 105 μm, representing the dropletsizes most susceptible to drift.

FIG. 8 illustrates a bar graph showing the percentage of droplet sizesof the compositions less than about 150 μm.

FIG. 9 illustrates a bar graph showing the average droplet sizes of thecompositions in the first 10% of volume sprayed.

FIG. 10 illustrates a bar graph showing the average droplet sizes of thecompositions in the first 50% of volume sprayed.

FIG. 11 illustrates a bar graph showing the average droplet sizes of thecompositions in the first 90% of volume sprayed.

FIG. 12 illustrates a bar graph showing the relative span of dropletsizes of the compositions relative to a normalized preferred dropletsize.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments relate to compositions comprising ethoxylatedlecithin for use as an adjuvant in aqueous composition. Specifically,the compositions may be utilized primarily as drift reduction agents inagricultural compositions, as a soil or foliage penetrant, as apesticide adjuvant, as a pesticide formulation component and for otheruses. The embodied compositions may be useful in reducing drift in spraycompositions, such as in use in agricultural applications, for example,as pesticide, herbicide and insecticide formulations, in IVM and IPMapplications, in rights of way applications, in forestry applications,and other like applications.

The exemplary compositions comprise an amount of ethoxylated lecithinand other component(s) to form a mixture. The compositions may beincorporated into aqueous compositions further comprising a functionalcomponent, such as one or more pesticides, one or more insecticides, oneor more herbicides, one or more fungicides, one or more fertilizers,and/or one or more other functional components desired to be applied toan object, such as an agricultural crop, and/or to an area of soil forpenetration of the mixture into the plant and/or the soil. The othercompositions may optionally include one or more surfactants, one or morefatty acids, one or more viscosity modifying components, one or moreacidifiers, one or more buffers, one or more defoamers, one or morewetting agents, one or more sticking agents, one or more tank cleaners,and/or one or more other components, particularly like components andcomponents consistent with the intended use of the compositions.

The ethoxylated lecithins may preferably be relatively low molecularweight polymers and may be the reaction products of lecithin andethylene oxide. The production of ethoxylated lecithin is known and isdescribed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,679.

Ethoxylated lecithin is also commercially available, for example, fromCST Performance Products Corp. in Conroe, Tex. Ethoxylated lecithin fromthis commercial source is understood by the present Applicant to be anethoxylated phospholipid-enriched soybean oil obtained from ethoxylatinga soybean oil containing from 5-30 wt %, preferably 8-10 wt %, and morepreferably about 10 wt % phospholipids. The phospholipid-enrichedsoybean oil is a fluid under ambient temperature and pressure.Ethoxylation may be carried out according to the process of U.S. Pat.No. 2,310,679 without the presence of an inert solvent. Triglyceridescontained in the soybean oil may include, for example, C16 saturated andC18 saturated, mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fatty acids,particularly palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acid, withan iodine value of 120-140. The phospholipid-enriched soybean oil isreacted with 30-90 wt %, preferably 50-70 wt %, of ethylene oxidebetween 90° C. and 180° C., in the presence of a basic catalyst,typically potassium hydroxide, at a pressure between 1 and 5 bar for60-300 minutes. Small amounts (e.g., 1-4 wt %) glycerol may be added asan initiator. The reaction conditions, such as time and pressure, may beset to obtain a final product comprising 10-200, preferably 20-50ethylene oxide units. Temperature is preferably maintained below 170°C., preferably at about 160° C., to avoid excessive discoloration. Forexample, preferred ethoxylated lecithins may be lecithin having 25 molesethoxylate functional group incorporated therein (having a numberaverage molecular weight (NAVG MW) of about 1000) and/or lecithin having30 moles ethoxylate functional group incorporated therein (having a NAVGMW of about 1200), although other ethoxylated lecithins may be utilizedand the invention should not necessarily be limited to those molaramounts and NAVG MW. Exemplary ethoxylated lecithins that may be used inthe exemplary embodiments described herein include, for example,commercially available ethoxylated lecithins such as DP-119/11(lecithin+25 moles ethoxylate), DP-120/11 (lecithin+30 molesethoxylate), and other ethoxylated lecithins commercially available fromCST Performance Products Corp. in Conroe, Tex.

The ethoxylated lecithins in the exemplary compositions described hereinmay be present in an effective amount for use as a penetrant, driftreduction agent, soil amendment, or for any other purpose. Specifically,the compositions may have ethoxylated lecithin in an amount of about onepercent (1%) by weight of the total composition to about 99.9% by weightof the total composition, preferably between about ten percent (10%) andabout ninety percent (90%) by weight of the total composition, morepreferably between about twenty percent (20%) and about eighty percent(80%) of the total composition, still more preferably between aboutthirty percent (30%) and about seventy percent (70%) of the totalcomposition.

The compositions may have a pH ranging from about 3 to about 9, and mayincorporate buffers or acidifiers therein to achieve a particular pH. Inan exemplary embodiment, an acidifier may be added to the compositionsdescribed herein to lower the pH of the resultant compositions.Acidified compositions may have improved efficacy as a penetrant and/ordrift reduction agent. Moreover, one or more acidifiers may be used toreduce pH and prevent complexing of the functional components with hardwater ions in aqueous compositions. For example, glyphosate, awell-known agricultural herbicide, is known to complex with metal ions.Having a relatively low pH in a hard water aqueous composition preventsor suppresses metal ion complexing with glyphosate.

The ethoxylated lecithins may be added to other components to formmixtures thereof, and may be advantageous as the compositions may notrequire added surfactants to stabilize the dissolution of theethoxylated lecithin mixtures into aqueous systems. That is, theethoxylated lecithin provides the water-dispersion properties of asurfactant without requiring that conventional or other surfactants beadded to the composition. Thus, the ethoxylated lecithin mixtures may beutilized in aqueous compositions without the addition of one or moresurfactants. As explained above, conventional surfactants increasedriftable fines. Accordingly, the absence of conventional surfactant(s)or other surfactants from the composition improves the usefulness of thecomposition as a drift reduction agent.

However, if desired surfactants may still be utilized, for example, toprovide additional stability, and may further be useful depending onother components, such as functional components, contained therein. Anysurfactants may be utilized that are effective to stabilize thecompositions described herein, including, but not limited to, non-ionicsurfactants, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants and amphoterics.Preferably, non-ionic surfactants, such as Tomadol® 1-5 and Tomadol® 1-7(ethoxylated alcohols or alcohol ethoxylates from Air Products, formerlyNeodol), or combinations thereof, may be utilized so that thesurfactants do not interact, complex or otherwise react with chargedfunctional components, such as the pesticides, herbicides, insecticides,fungicides, fertilizers or other like functional components. Othernon-ionic surfactants may include alkylphenylethers, polyoxyethylene andpolyoxypropylene block co-polymers, alkyl polyglucoside, and othernon-ionic surfactants as apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Moreover, the one or more surfactants in the compositions of theexemplary embodiments described herein may have anyhydrophilic-lipophilic balance (“HLB”) that is useful to the intendedapplication. Some exemplary compositions contain one or more surfactantshaving a HLB value in a range between about 8-16, preferably 8-13, morepreferably between about 10-12, for example, to ensure good stability ofthe compositions, especially when incorporated added to water forspraying. A plurality of surfactants may be utilized to obtain thedesired HLB.

The one or more surfactants may be present in an amount between aboutfive percent (5%) and about forty percent (40%) of the totalcomposition, more preferably between about ten percent (10%) and aboutthirty (30%) of the total composition, still more preferably betweenabout fifteen (15%) and about twenty percent (20%) of the totalcomposition.

Humectants may further be incorporated into the compositions to slow thedrying time of the aqueous droplets that may be sprayed ontoagricultural crops, to increase the uptake of functional componentstherein, and to aid in cold storage of the compositions describedherein. For example, a common humectant, diethylene glycol (DEG) may beincorporated into the compositions described herein for this purpose.

Fatty acids may be utilized in the compositions in combination withsurfactants to aid in stabilizing the compositions herein. Preferably,the fatty acid includes at least one selected from the group consistingof C8 to C30 fatty acids. Such acids include, but are not limited to,myristic, lauric, palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids andmixtures of fatty acids derived from natural sources such as coco,lauryl, palm, soy, cottonseed and tall oil fatty acids, as well ascombinations of the aforementioned fatty acids. Most preferably, thefatty acid includes at least one fatty acid whose major content is C18fatty acids such as soy and tall oil fatty acids. An effective amount offatty acid, as described herein, may be utilized. Preferably, the fattyacid content is up to about thirty percent (30%) by weight of the totalcomposition. More preferably, the range of fatty acid content is aboutone percent (1%) to about twenty five percent (25%) by weight. Stillmore preferably, the range of fatty acid content is about five percent(5%) to about twenty percent (20%) by weight.

Unless otherwise specified, all percentages provided above are inmass/mass (w/w) percent on a dry weight basis. Dry weight refers to theweight of the ingredient(s) making up the material without added waterbut including ingredient native water such as moisture, which isgenerally less than 0.1 weight percent for each ingredient.

The composition may be dispersed in water in a volumetric ratio of, forexample, about 1:100 to about 1:800. One of more functional components,such as pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and/or fungicides, may beadded, for example, in agriculturally acceptable amounts, such asdescribed in the compositions below.

EXAMPLES Example 1 (Synthex® L950)

An exemplary embodiment comprises a composition having about 50% byweight of the composition ethoxylated lecithin (DP-120/11), about 30% byweight of the composition tall oil fatty acid, and about 20% by weightof the composition Tomadol® 1-5 nonionic surfactant.

Preparation: A water-free mixture was prepared using a 150 mL Pyrexbeaker and an overhead stirrer with a 2 inch blade. Each component wasadded successively, weighed into the beaker mixture while stirringcontinues to a total weight of the mixture of 100 grams. The order ofaddition was not important. The mixture was stirred until uniform, freefrom striations, solids, cloudiness or any other apparent inhomogeneity.

Use/Application: The above mixture was mixed with in a tank with water,pesticide, and possibly fertilizers and other additives. Mixing ordercan be an issue in the so-called “tank mix.” Solid pesticideformulations, such as water-soluble granules (WGs) and dry flowables(DFs), sometimes do not dissolve well except in pure water. The additionof Synthex® L950 may prevent complete dissolution of such pesticideformulations. Therefore, the first addition to the tank preferably waswater, followed by any dry formulations which preferably are completelydissolved in the tank water before moving on to any other additives.Synthex® L950 is preferably added last to any tank mix. The use rate forSynthex® L950 was 0.25-0.5% or 1 to 2 quarts per 100 gallons of totaltank mix.

Example 2 (Synthex® L940)

Another exemplary embodiment comprises a composition having about 30% byweight of the composition water, about 15% by weight of the compositioncitric acid, about 5% by weight of the composition DEG, about 10% byweight of the composition Tomadol® 1-7 nonionic surfactant, and about40% by weight of the composition DP-120/11 ethoxylated lecithin.

Preparation: For this Example 2, the preparation is identical to Example1 except for the mixing order. In this formulation, mixing order is moreimportant because the addition of Tomadol® 1-7, and the DP-120/11 to thewater interferes with the dissolution of the citric acid, which is asolid at room temperature. Therefore, the citric acid preferably isfully dissolved in water prior to the addition of these ingredients. DEGmay slow or stop the dissolution of the citric acid.

When combining a complex mixture of hydrophobic and hydrophiliccompounds, adding them in order from most hydrophobic to mosthydrophilic or most hydrophilic to most hydrophobic gives the greatestformulation success. In this case, since complete dissolution of thecitric acid is achieved in the pure water component, water preferably isfirst and citric acid second. Other components, when mixed in the orderabove, will mix easily. The Tomadol® 1-7 promotes dispersion andcomplete dissolution of the DP-120/11 into the water/citric acidmixture.

Use/Application: Use and application of Synthex® L940 of Example 2 isidentical to those described in connection with the Synthex® L950 ofExample 1.

To compare the effectiveness of the compositions of the presentinvention, as embodied in Examples 1 and 2, with other compositions, andto determine the efficacy of the compositions as penetrants and driftreduction agents, formulations of Examples 1 and 2 with water and one ormore functional components, such as one or more herbicides, wereprepared and their effectiveness as penetrants and drift reductionagents were measured. With respect to the compositions in the bar graphsof FIGS. 1-3 : Composition 1 contains the herbicides Touchdown® HT(glyphosate) (Syngenta Group Co.) and Clarity® (dicamba) (BASF) in anamount of 16 oz/ac and 12 oz/ac respectively in about 8.5 gallons (8.5gallons per acre water carrier volume or 8.5 GPA) water with noadjuvant; Composition 2 contains the same herbicides in about 8.5 GPAwater with 0.25% by volume Synthex® PR3410, a non-ethoxylatedlecithin-based penetrant, as well as an acidifier and NIS; Composition 3contains the same herbicides in about 8.5 GPA water with 0.25% by volumeSynthex® L950 of Example 1; and Composition 4 contains the sameherbicides in about 8.5 GPA water with 0.25% by volume Synthex® L940 ofExample 2 and acidifier. Compositions 1-4 are set forth in Table 1below.

TABLE 1 Comp. Herbicide Use rate/ac Adjuvant Use rate 1 Touchdown ® HT +16 oz + 12 oz None — Clarity ® 2 Touchdown ® HT + 16 oz + 12 ozSynthex ® 0.25% Clarity ® PR3410 3 Touchdown ® HT + 16 oz + 12 ozSynthex ® 0.25% Clarity ® L950 4 Touchdown ® HT + 16 oz + 12 ozSynthex ® 0.25% Clarity ® L940

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate the efficacy of the compositions of the presentinvention as a penetrant for flax control (FIG. 1 ), pigweed control(FIG. 2 ), and sunflower control (FIG. 3 ) at 14 and 28 days aftertreatment, showing comparable or better percent control results of theCompositions 3 and 4 of the present invention when compared toCompositions 1 and 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 relate to the following three compositions reported inTable 2 below: Composition 5 contains the herbicide GoldSky® (DowAgrosciences, LLC) a well-known herbicide used on wheat, in an amount ofabout 10 oz/ac in about 10 gallons of water with no adjuvant;Composition 6 contains the same herbicide in about 10 GPA water with0.25% by volume Synthex® L950 of Example 1; and Composition 7 containsthe same herbicide in about 10 GPA water with 0.25% by volume Surfiex®PAE 970, a well-known surfactant blend composition that is typicallyused with GoldSky® herbicide. Compositions 5-7 are set forth in Table 2below.

TABLE 2 Comp. (10 gpa) Herbicide Use rate Adjuvant Use Rate 5 GoldSky ®10 oz/A None — 6 GoldSky ® 10 oz/A Synthex ® L950 0.25% v/v 7 GoldSky ®10 oz/A Surflex PAE970 0.25% v/v

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the efficacy of inventive Composition 6 as apenetrant for common lambsquarter percent control (FIG. 4 ) and wild oatpercent control (FIG. 5 ) at 21 and 34 days after treatment, showingbetter results of the inventive Composition 6 when compared toCompositions 5 and 7.

FIG. 6 relates to the following five compositions reported below inTable 3: Composition 8 contains the herbicide Liberty® 280 SL (Bayer)(active glufosinate), a well-known herbicide typically used on cotton,in an amount of about 29 oz/ac in about 15 GPA water with no adjuvant;Composition 9 contains the same herbicide Liberty® 280 SL in about 15GPA water with 3 lbs per acre ammonium sulfate; Composition 10 containsthe same herbicide Liberty® 280 SL in about 15 GPA water with 0.25% byvolume Synthex® L950 of Example 1; Composition 11 contains the sameherbicide Liberty® 280 SL in about 15 GPA water with 0.25% by volumeSynthex® L940 of Example 2; and Composition 12 contains the sameherbicide in about 15 GPA water with 0.25% by volume Synthex® NCA 34 (ablend of ammonium sulfate and nonionic surfactant). Compositions 8-12are set forth below in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Comp. Herbicide Use rate Adjuvant Use Rate 8 Liberty ® 280SL 29oz/A None — 9 Liberty ® 280SL 29 oz/A Ammonium 3 lb/A sulfate 10Liberty ® 280SL 29 oz/A Synthex ® L950 0.25% v/v 11 Liberty ® 280SL 29oz/A Synthex ® L940 0.25% v/v 12 Liberty ® 280SL 29 oz/A Synthex ® 0.25%v/v NCA34

FIG. 6 illustrates the efficacy of the inventive Compositions 10 and 11for percent control of palmer amaranth at 4, 6 and 13 days aftertreatment, showing comparable or better results of the inventiveCompositions 10 and 11 compared to Compositions 8, 9 and 12.

FIGS. 7-12 illustrate efficacy of the present invention compared tocomparison compositions as a drift reduction agent. Specifically,compositions 13-18 were prepared and sprayed from an XR11003 nozzle in awind tunnel having a wind speed at 15 mph, and droplet sizes of thecompositions were measured using a Sympatec Helos Vario KR particle sizeanalyzer.

Table 4 below sets forth five compositions of Roundup PowerMax®herbicide (RU PowerMax, a glyphosate-based herbicide) with variousadjuvants as specified therein. Composition 13 contains about 65mL/gallon RU PowerMax® with no adjuvant; Composition 14 contains about65 mL/gallon RU PowerMax® with about 9.5 mL/gallon (0.25% v/v) Synthex®L750, a known non-ethoxylated lecithin-based adjuvant; Composition 15contains the same amount of RU PowerMax® with about 0.25% v/v Synthex®L754, a known non-ethoxylated lecithin-based adjuvant plus an acidifier;Composition 16 contains the same amount of RU PowerMax® with about 0.25%v/v Liberate™, a known non-ethoxylated lecithin-based adjuvant;Composition 17 contains the same amount of RU PowerMax® with about 0.25%v/v Liberate™ and an acidifier; and Composition 18 contains the sameamount of RU PowerMax® with about 0.25% v/v Synthex® L950 composition ofthe present invention. Compositions 13-18 are set forth in Table 4below.

TABLE 4 Comp. Treatment Rate (mL per gallon) 13 RU PowerMax ® 65 mL(1.7% v/v) alone 14 RU PowerMax ® + 65 mL (1.7% v/v) + 9.5 mL (0.25%v/v) EXT695 15 RU PowerMax ® + 65 mL (1.7% v/v) + 9.5 mL (0.25% v/v)EXT908 16 RU PowerMax ® + 65 mL (1.7% v/v) + 9.5 mL (0.25% v/v) EXT59517 RU PowerMax ® + 65 mL (1.7% v/v) + 9.5 mL (0.25% v/v) EXT909 18 RUPowerMax ® + 65 mL (1.7% v/v) + 9.5 mL (0.25% v/v) EXT914

FIG. 7 illustrates the percentage of the entire volume sprayed of thecompositions that had droplet sizes less than about 105 μm, whichrepresents the droplet sizes that are likely most susceptible to drift.FIG. 8 illustrates the percentage of the entire volume sprayed of thecompositions that had droplet sizes less than about 150 μm. FIG. 9illustrates the average droplet sizes (microns) of the compositions inthe first 10% of the total volume sprayed. FIG. 10 illustrates theaverage droplet sizes (microns) of the compositions in the 50% of thetotal volume sprayed. FIG. 11 illustrates the average droplet sizes(microns) of the compositions in the 90% of the total volume sprayed.Finally, FIG. 12 illustrates the relative span of droplet sizes relativeto a normalized preferred droplet size. FIGS. 7-12 illustrate comparableor better results of the composition of the present invention comparedto compositions not having ethoxylated lecithin.

It should be noted that various changes and modifications to thepresently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention andwithout diminishing its attendant advantages. Further, referencesthroughout the specification to “the invention” are nonlimiting, and itshould be noted that claim limitations presented herein are not meant todescribe the invention as a whole. Moreover, the inventionillustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absenceof any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A drift reducing agent, comprising: ethoxylatedlecithin; ethoxylated soybean oil; a non-ionic surfactant; and a fattyacid, wherein the ethoxylated lecithin is present at about 10% to about90% by weight of the total drift reducing agent.
 2. The agent of claim1, wherein the non-ionic surfactant is present in an amount of about 5weight percent to about 40 weight percent based on the total weight ofthe drift reducing agent.
 3. The agent of claim 1, wherein the non-ionicsurfactant is present in an amount of about 10 weight percent and about30 weight percent based on the total weight of the drift reducing agent.4. The agent of claim 1, wherein the fatty acid comprises a tall oilfatty acid.
 5. The agent of claim 1, wherein the fatty acid is presentin an amount of about 1 weight percent to about 25 weight percent basedon the total weight of the drift reducing agent.
 6. The agent of claim1, wherein the fatty acid is present in an amount of about 5 weightpercent to about 20 weight percent based on the total weight of thedrift reducing agent.
 7. The agent of claim 1, wherein the non-ionicsurfactant comprises an ethoxylated alcohol.
 8. The agent of claim 7,wherein the fatty acid comprises a tall oil fatty acid.
 9. The agent ofclaim 1, wherein the pH has a ranges from about 3 to about
 9. 10. Theagent of claim 1, wherein the non-ionic surfactant has ahydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of between about 8-16.
 11. Theagent of claim 1, further comprising a humectant.
 12. The agent of claim11, wherein the humectant comprises diethylene glycol (DEG).
 13. Theagent of claim 1, wherein the non-ionic surfactant is present in anamount of about 10 weight percent and about 30 weight percent based onthe total weight of the drift reducing agent, and wherein the fatty acidis present in an amount of about 5 weight percent to about 20 weightpercent based on the total weight of the drift reducing agent.
 14. Theagent of claim 1, wherein the non-ionic surfactant is present in anamount of about 5 weight percent to about 40 weight percent based on thetotal weight of the drift reducing agent, and wherein the fatty acid ispresent in an amount of about 1 weight percent to about 25 weightpercent based on the total weight of the drift reducing agent.
 15. Asprayable aqueous composition, comprising: the drift reducing agent ofclaim 1; and a pesticide, an insecticide, an herbicide, a fungicide, afertilizer, or a combination thereof.
 16. The sprayable aqueouscomposition of claim 15, wherein the composition comprises thepesticide.
 17. The sprayable aqueous composition of claim 15, whereinthe fatty acid comprises a tall oil fatty acid.
 18. The sprayableaqueous composition of claim 15, wherein the non-ionic surfactantcomprises an ethoxylated alcohol.
 19. The sprayable aqueous compositionof claim 15, wherein the non-ionic surfactant is present in an amount ofabout 5 weight percent to about 40 weight percent based on the totalweight of the drift reducing agent.
 20. The sprayable aqueouscomposition of claim 19, wherein the fatty acid comprises a tall oilfatty acid.
 21. A method of applying an aqueous composition, comprising:spraying an aqueous composition comprising the drift reducing agent ofclaim 1 and at least one functional component on at least oneagricultural crop, at least one forest area, at least one soil, at leastone foliage, and/or at least one forestry.
 22. The method of claim 21,wherein said at least one functional component is a pesticide.
 23. Themethod of claim 21, wherein the non-ionic surfactant comprises anethoxylated alcohol.
 24. The method of claim 21, wherein the non-ionicsurfactant is present in an amount of about 5 weight percent to about 40weight percent based on the total weight of the drift reducing agent.25. The method of claim 24, wherein the fatty acid comprises a tall oilfatty acid.